Sunday, December 6, 2015

Dreaming

The song "Dreaming" is by a four member indie pop band known as Smallpools. The band was formed in 2013, and consists of the following four members: singer Sean Scanlon, guitarist Mike Kamerman, bassist Joseph Intile and drummer Beau Kuther. "Dreaming" was released as their first single, followed by their first album release in 2015, called Lovetap!. Although they are not a particularly well known band, the song Dreaming gained major popularity for being on the FIFA Soundtrack for 2014. The song is extremely poetic with it’s hidden double meanings and visual imagery.

The song may seem like it is about war at first with lines such as “they want us to surrender,” “here between their crossfire,” and “they’ve all got loaded guns.” However, after looking more closely at the lyrics, the references to war are really just a metaphor for how love is comparable to war. The song is sung from the perspective of a man who is trying to form a deeper relationship with the woman he loves. Love is compared to war with its unavoidable conflicts or “crossfire.” The song starts off with the lyrics:

I see the place that we've been locked together, together

Like we were something more

These lyrics use this “locked” place that they are in and metaphorically compare it to how they are stuck in a position of friendship. The “locked place” that they are in makes it seemingly impossible for them to be anything more than friends. The next line, “like we were something more” shows how the singer and his friend have something that is more than friendship, but it is only “like” they are something more, and in actuality, they cannot seem to form that deeper relationship. The song continues as:

But you led them to our hideout

Forced their way inside now

They want us to surrender, us to surrender

But I could go all night right here between their crossfire

We'll send them up a message

I'll send a message

We'll say, "Give it up, give it up"

These lyrics show how there are others who are not allowing them to progress in their relationship, and they have to face these obstacles of love. When the lyrics continue as, “But I could go all night right here between their crossfire,” it shows how he is willing to face these obstacles for his friend, which proves the love he has for her. The “love is war” metaphor maintains when he uses language such as “they want us to surrender” as in the friends are unconsciously forcing them to give up. In the next line though, they will continue to “...go all night right here between their crossfire,” meaning they will continue to fight for their love. These lyrics also provide auditory imagery with the line “We’ll say give it up, give it up.” This shows how he speaks out against everyone else who is trying to get in between their relationship. The lyrics later continue as:

We've got nowhere to run, they've all got loaded guns

Oh no, please, God, tell me we're dreaming

These lyrics provide a visual imagery of running from loaded guns. However, the loaded guns are really just a metaphor for the threat that the others impose on their relationship. The lyrics “oh no, please God, tell me we’re dreaming,” are also a metaphor because he does not really wish he was dreaming, he just wishes that his reality at present would end. The next few lines are:

Wait for the dust to settle down around us, around us

Then stick to what we know.

I think the air is finally safe to breathe again, to breathe again

The line “dust settle around us” provides imagery and also is a metaphor for waiting for the situation to conclude. The situation has ended, but the two friends are still in love with one another. The line, “I think the air is finally safe to breathe again” further shows that the situation is over, and they no longer have to keep their love a secret to everyone else. The lines continue as:

The world is in your palm now

So take a breath and calm down

'Cause you have been selected, you've been selected

The line “the world is in your palm now” show how much she means to him. When he says, “you have been selected” it means that he has chosen her to be the person that he loves. By using poetic language to show how love is like war, it can be concluded that if someone means the “world” to you like she does to the singer, then love is worth the “crossfire.” The song has a hidden meaning that persistence is the key to love.

2 comments:

I think you did a great job thoroughly analyzing the song, which made your argument more clear. Your argument was very interesting because of the way you expressed the song's several meanings. Good job!

I really liked how you related the use of the world "locked" to being locked in a friendship and not being able to be anything more. Really smart analysis. I like how you dug deeper with the meaning of war and related it to love. Do you agree with what the song is poetically portraying? Great job!